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Thursday, March 22, 2012

New Garb for Geneviève

Dress by Melinda at Camelot's Closet

I ordered this dress for Geneviève, today. It is likely a bit fancy for the tourney events, but it will work well when we dance at the Faires and go to indoor events. I am usually a make-it-myself kind of person. That is part of the fun for me. But she was poking around on Etsy, found this and really, really wanted it. The surcote is made of 100% silk, excepting the trim and the under dress is embroidered cotton.

One of the realities of living in Iowa, is that fabric selection is awful and it is not cheap. At my local Joann's store, an 8 x 8 swatch of silk is $3, so you can imagine what the three or four yards I would need for this surcote would run. It was a good deal, too. Honestly for what it cost, I don't think I could have purchased the material, not to mention the time it saved me. I want to find a dark brown wool to make a cloak for her to wear over it, in the winter. She has a plain chemise and a rough peasant skirt for camping. She has to think on what else to make but we have plenty of time.

I haven't really thought about my own garb, yet. I have some from performing with the dance troup, but I am not too keen on using it. The second dress is definitely English and my first attempt was rough to say the least. I will keep them as a back up, or try to repurpose them, I suppose. The chemise and the underskirt would make for a good camping clothes. I may end up ordering a fancy Faire overdress and making our "everyday" outfits. I can whip out a chemise in a few hours.

One of the quirky things I have to deal with is keeping my garb appropriate to my venue. My persona will have to be a bit of a time traveler at times, I am afraid. The dresses I would wear as even as an early period noble are not suitable for dancing at the Faires, so when you see me there I will likely still be wearing something Gaelic but it will definitely have to be brought a few centuries forward.